I truly don’t know of anyone who doesn’t love fall. The nip in the air, the stark colors, a sudden realization of change and the bold quiet. It’s like stepping into a Mark Rothko painting. This year, I was filled with anticipation as soon as the first leaf fell from our maple tree.

I also couldn’t wait to make a costume and dress up our little Trick-or-Toddler for the first time, who went as the world’s smallest Oompa Loompa. We sent him wobbling through the crowds of his preschool, gathering candy that his dad and I could enjoy later (perhaps while watching Mad Men and drinking a martini.) He was such a hit and won Best Costume on laughs and smiles alone.

The festivities started out a couple weeks ago when we went to Remlinger Farms with several friends and picked out our yearly pumpkins from the patch. Sage had a great time stomping in the mud puddles and wandering through the corn maze with daddy.

Sage and Justin at the pumpkin patch.

Sage, 12 months old, under our maple tree.

We finally got around to carving our pumpkins this last Sunday, and I must say, they turned out rather well. Justin’s pumpkin is always great since he has the patience of Buddha and the precision of a laser. Mine however, always fall victim to lack of planning and trying to wrap my head around the concept of positive and negative space. This year, I took a different approach and made a Jack-o-Clock which, if I could only find a dang AA battery in the house, it would actually tick! Justin carved a beautiful rendition of the photo I took of Sage in a pile of leaves.

Pumpkin Seeds, Three Ways

Justin and I have roasted the discarded pumpkin seeds in the past, but they never turned out quite right. This year, we made the obvious discovery that they need to sit on a sheet pan and dry out for 24 hours after you rinse them and remove the pulp.

Preheat Oven to 350.

Simple Butter and Sea Salt

1 1/2 Cups raw pumpkin seeds

2 TBLS Butter, melted

1/2 TSP Sea Salt

Toss seeds in butter and salt and spread on a sheet pan in a single layer. Roast in oven for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cumin, Cayenne and Lime

1 1/2 Cups raw pumpkin seeds

2 TBLS Butter, melted

1 TSP Cumin

1/2 TSP Cayenne Pepper

Juice of 1 lime

1/2 TSP Sea Salt

Toss seeds in butter and all seasonings sand spread on a sheet pan in a single layer. Roast in oven for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Candied Caramel and Cinnamon

1 1/2 Cups raw pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup sugar

1 TSP Cinnamon

1/2 TSP Sea Salt

Toss seeds in butter and cinnamon, spread on a sheet pan in a single layer. Roast in oven for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. While cooling, melt sugar in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring often. When sugar is a thick caramel color, remove from heat and add roasted seeds. Stirring to coat all the seeds then immediately spread on wax paper. Sprinkle with salt before they cool.

My mom and I just made seeds last night (as we do every year) and I LOVE them with just sea salt. Love it.
The rest do look good though……..maybe just maybe I’ll have to step out of my bubble next year and try something different, haha.